Welcome to Barking & Dagenham College
A Truly Great College - Passionate About Success
020 3667 0294 | www.bdc.ac.uk

Professional &Technical Training to take you into work or onto university

If you share our passion for success then you are in the right place and in good company. Every year over 12,000 students of all ages choose to study with us because they want to succeed too.

Whether your goal is to be your own boss, work for a global business, secure promotion or gain your first job through a Traineeship or Apprenticeship, you will benefit from industry-standard training centres and facilities that are among the best in London.

City & Guilds, BTECs, CACHE and more

There's a huge range of subjects on offer, giving you qualifications that employers and universities know and trust. From Accounting to Animation, Plumbing to Product Design, and everything in between.

'Professional and Technical Training taking you into work or onto university. Offering you a wide choice of subjects and levels, for all age groups.'

Adam Gemili

Adam graduated from Barking & Dagenham College in the summer of 2012, just before taking part in the London Olympics as a sprinter for Team GB. In 2012 Adam was named as the Association of Colleges' Student of the Year. His sprinting medal tally is growing rapidly:

European Athletics 200m Champion (won Fri 15/8/14)

European Athletics 4 x 100m relay Champion (won Sun 17/8/14)

Commonwealth 100m Silver Medallist (Mon 28/7/14)

"If you want to achieve success come to Barking & Dagenham College."

Idris Elba

Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor who has starred in both British and American productions, including 'The Wire'. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including Ultraviolet and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. He is also known for playing Russell "Stringer" Bell, the drug dealer who aspired to become a high-powered businessman, in The Wire. Elba is also a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis / Big Driis the Londoner, and a hip-hop soul recording artist.

Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London and attended Barking & Dagenham College. He says: "This is a great place to learn. Barking & Dagenham College was the first place I got to fall on my face as an actor and get back up to be supported by great people and a great College."

Vicky Knight

Vicky Knight, Health & Social Care Extended Diploma Level 3 student, was recently named Student of the Year by the Association of Colleges (AoC) after impressing judges with her hard work and determination to overcome difficulties presented early in her life.

Her biggest achievement has been the launch of her own charity Scar Quality, which provides professional makeovers for burns victims to help boost their self-esteem. She has raised £1,000 with a sponsored 28-mile walk and even travelled to South Africa to meet burns victims in the townships. Vicky also gives talks on how to overcome challenges and has shared her experience with adult counselling and childcare students, inspiring them to make generous contributions to her charity. Vicky, who was eight-years-old when she was the victim of an arson attack at her family's business, said: "It's amazing to win, I really can't describe it. My scars are something I have to live with every day, but by setting up the charity I can help others. It was hard work, but it's amazing."

'Making a fresh start after GCSEs? Returning to study after a break? Looking for professional development courses to boost your career options?'

We offer 100's of 16-18 and adult courses to choose from. Our courses offer technical and professional training that give you work ready skills. Our campuses & training centres have fantastic industry-standard, employer sponsored facilities and equipment. As a Gazelle College, one of only 18 in the UK we pride ourselves on giving you T-shaped - enterprise and employability skills. The CBI calls them ‘soft skills'. At BDC these T-shaped skills that employers look for are developed alongside technical expertise in your chosen career path. Our Entrepreneurs Academy based in the POD at our Rush Green Campus, has a talent bank of students who deliver commissioned projects for businesses.

Here is a list of some of our hot courses that lead to great careers (for a complete list of all the courses we offer, please visit our website).

Arts & Design

We have a big range of creative Art & Design courses which include fine art, graphic design, drawing & painting, 2D & 3D design, fashion and much more. Whether you see yourself as an Advertising Executive or a Product Designer, there is no better starting point than an Art & Design course at Barking & Dagenham College. Read more here...

Access to Higher Education

Access to Higher Education Diplomas are designed for mature students who are age 19+ and who want to move on to study for a degree at university but don't have the required A Levels. You can also prepare for an Access course with the Preparation for a Higher Education Access Course Diploma. Read more here...

Business Studies

Take a look at the range of courses, from beginners through to advanced. Our business course will train you to become a specialist business professional. Business Development Managers earn an average salary of £38k. There will be 241,000 job openings in the industry between 2012-2022. Want to work in business or perhaps start your own business? Our business and enterprise course will help you turn your business ideas into a reality. Read more here...

Childcare

Ofsted said "Teaching, learning and assessment in early years and childcare are outstanding." You will study how people develop from childhood right through to adulthood, and how people learn. You will develop your own communication skills and learn how the UK runs the health care and childcare sector. Read more here...

Cookery & Food Studies

Our professional courses are for those who want to train to work in restaurant and hospitality industry. You will train in our commercial and training restaurants including the Coffee Shop and The Chef's Hat. One in six people in London work in hospitality according to the British Hospitality Association. Train with us to grab those opportunities. Read more here...

3D Design

Our industry specialists deliver a range of activities that will give you an understanding of 3D. Become an Architect, a designer of interiors, furniture or products. Did you know that our 3D design students helped create the inspiration behind our campus development? From our new frontage at Rush Green, to our light and airy reception area. Read more here...

Engineering

There is a technical skills shortage and mechatronics engineers will increasingly be in demand as more industries seek to make advances to products, processes and services. The key to the UK economy, there will be 50,000 job openings in the sector between 2012-2022. Start with a £22k salary in the highly technical field. Read more here...

Electrical

You will learn from highly qualified electricians who have worked in the industry and can guide you through exactly which qualifications you will need. Earn an average salary of £29k and join 297,000 people working in the industry. The practical career is easiest to get into through an Apprenticeship that are available through our courses. Read more here...

Finance & Accounting

With the City of London right on your doorstep, careers in finance and accounting are extremely popular. You can study for AAT courses with us and become a Qualified Accounting Technician. Projected job openings for Financial Account Managers is 74,000. Train with us to be a part of the work force. Read more here...

Graphic Design

If you are a creative person with a talent for idea generation, what about a career as a Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Illustrator or Art worker? Our graphics department is kitted out with all the latest industry-standard software and Apple Macs. Our graphic design course covers a range of topics using Adobe software including advertising, marketing, publishing, illustration and web design. Read more here...

Health & Social Care

Our Health and Social care courses are for those who want to work with adults over 18 years of age. 96% of people working in the care industry feel their work makes a difference. Between 2012-2022, there will be 530,000 job openings in the Health & Social Care sector with an average salary of £22k. Read more here...

IT & Computing

Take advantage of this rapidly expanding sector and get skilled. Whether you are interested in data science and analytics, computer administration skills, software technology, web development, programming or computer games design - we cover it all. There will be 60,000 job openings in the IT industry between 2012-2022 and you can expect to earn an average salary of £40k. Read more here...

Motor Vehicle & Motorsports Engineering

There is such an automotive heritage in our area of East London, which makes Barking & Dagenham College a natural choice for training for your future job as an Automotive Engineer/Technician or Motorsport Engineer/Technician. Automotive Engineers can expect to earn between £23,000 to £30,000, depending on the employer, work experience and the qualification acquired. Read more here...

Photography

Our photography programmes provide at the core an engaging framework in contemporary photography. Students develop a strong understanding of visual culture and artistic freedom in art and commercial practices. The only photography department in the UK to offer a paid 2 month internship to work in Paris whilst you study. Read more here...

Public Services

Public Service courses are designed to prepare you for one of the emergency services or one of the armed forces, including Police, Fire, Paramedic or Ambulance Technician, Prison service, Coastguard, Armed Services - Navy, Army or the RAF. You will learn about team work, resilience, how to communicate with people - plus your fitness will improve too! There are 193,000 people working as a Police Officer (based on Labour Force Survey) earning an average salary of £40k. Read more here...

Plumbing

As a professional plumber you have lots of options: to launch your own business, to work for an employer and to specialise in a variety of areas such as: Domestic or commercial, Gas Central Heating, Renewable technology - solar panels, heat pumps and so on. As a trained plumber you could expect to earn anything from £25,000 to up £60,000+. Read more here...

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths provision)

Unlock your potential on this great introductory course, covering range of interesting subjects from Forensic Detection to Electronics in Action. You will study in the regional Gazelle Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths Centre - the only one of its kind in London. Read more here...

Technical Theatre

Train for a career as a Theatre Technician, Stage Manager or Producer. You'll benefit from excellent rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, music technology room equipped to professional standards and a 360 seat theatre with the latest sound and lighting equipment. Our alumni includes Idris Elba and Emmanuel Nwamadi! Read more here...

Video Production

If you are interested in filmmaking and video production, our creative media courses are perfect for you. Whether you are interested in news, music videos, drama production, documentaries or just want to gain a greater knowledge of the industry, you will find a course that is perfect for you and your needs as a young filmmaker. Read more here...

An approved centre

'Professional and Technical Training taking you into work or onto university. Offering you a wide choice of subjects and levels, for all age groups.'

Advanced Learner Loans

If you are age 19+ you could take out an Advanced Learner Loan to help meet the cost of your tuition fees.

These loans will work in a similar way to the current loan system for Higher Education, meaning that you will only start to pay the loan back once you have completed your study or training and are earning over £21,000 a year.

It's easy to apply for the loan, your household income isn't taken into account and there's no credit check.

Specialist training centres reflecting industry standards

Depending on the subject you choose, you'll enjoy industry-standard facilities using the latest equipment and software. When you study in an environment that closely reflects your future workplace, it will better prepare you for your career. Your technical knowledge and work-ready skills are developed in context, helping you stand out to employers.

Our main Rush Green campus (pictured above)

Welcoming all age groups and levels, from beginner right through to a post-graduate MBA.